SUN GAZETTE NEWSPAPERS (VA)

BY BRIAN TROMPETER, Vienna, VA

Robert McCormick always was a maverick when he was on the Vienna Town Council, a free spirit with ideas of his own.

Although he hasn’t served on that body for 16 years, he’s still actively interested in world affairs and worried about what will be bequeathed to future generations. To that end, he is walking from Denver to Washington, D.C., to boost awareness of “intergenerational justice,” the concept that Earth’s current inhabitants must not shirk their responsibilities to those who will follow.

“I’m frustrated and I’m concerned about all of us,” he said. “I didn’t know what else to do, so I decided to walk to D.C. It’s not easy, I can tell you.”

McCormick, 69, began his odyssey Aug. 2, departing from just east of Denver on Route 36. (He decided trying to navigate his way out of that sprawling metropolis would be a bad idea.) By Aug. 13, he was in the town of St. Francis just west of Wheeler, Kan., and repairing the cart he’s been pulling. ….